The present invention relates generally to a hook assembly for an engineered wood bed rail and, more particularly, to a hook fastened to an engineered wood bed rail with rivets, which provide high resistance to removal and increased structural integrity. High quality furniture products, especially those requiring some assembly during set up, require assembly components which are easy to use and provide a high degree of structural integrity once assembled. A rigid and sturdy furniture piece not only provides the appearance of quality, but also eliminates many problems which may occur later on, such as breakdowns and wobbling.
As with any type of manufacturing, economics is of primary importance. Currently, significant increases in bed rail hook structural integrity are accompanied by significant increases in cost. These costs are either passed on to the consumer, absorbed by the manufacturer, or shared by both. Increases in material, machining and labor costs contribute to the increased cost associated with higher structural integrity.
Thus, many consumers choose bed frames made of engineered wood, rather than wood, because engineered wood is less costly and still provides a satisfactory degree of structural integrity. Also, engineered wood may give the appearance of real wood. The term xe2x80x9cengineered woodxe2x80x9d includes a range of man made wood materials such as particle board, medium density fiberboard, and oriented strand board.
Typically, in wooden bed frames, a flat, metal plate having hooks for engaging a post associated with a headboard or footboard, is mounted in a slide or on the side of a wooden bed rail. The bed rail hook includes multiple apertures through which multiple fasteners extend in order to securely attach the plate to the bed rail. These types of hooks are standard in the wooden bed rail manufacturing industry and consumers are familiar with how these types of hooks are used to install a bed frame. Consumers also find these types of hooks easy to work with.
Bed rails made of engineered wood, however, typically require a different type of hook because the engineered wood is not as strong as real wood. More specifically, hooks are typically attached to wooden bed rails with pegs that extend through the multiple apertures in the bed rail hook and the bed rail. Staples cover the heads of the inserted pegs to hold them in place. These pegs are not suitable for attaching hooks onto engineered wood bed rail, however, because of the consistency of the engineered wood. Thus, a type of hook that can be attached with nuts and bolts is typically used with engineered wood bed rails to provide a more secure joint. Consumers are not as familiar with this type of hook and do not find them as easy to work with as hooks that are traditionally used with wooden bed rails. Further, nuts and bolts are not preferred by manufacturers because they require additional time for insertion during manufacturing and additional material costs. Thus, while the costs of engineered wood bed rails are cheaper than wooden bed rails, the cost of manufacturing the hook assembly is increased.
In view of the forgoing, there is a need for a new and improved hook and fastener assembly for engineered wood bed rails that uses a hook that is traditionally used with wooden bed rails and is capable of providing significant structural integrity by using fasteners which are economical and provide substantial resistance to removal.
The present invention fulfills this need in the art by providing a bed rail, hook, and fastener assembly for fastening a hook in the end of a man made wood material bed rail including a plurality of rivets, each having a head and a shank, a bed rail hook having a flat body with a plurality of apertures extending through a first end of the body, the bed rail hook apertures having a diameter slightly larger than the shank of the rivets, and a man made wood material bed rail having an end including a slot and a plurality of through-extending apertures. The first end of the bed rail hook is adapted to enter the slot in the end of the bed rail and the bed rail hook apertures are adapted to align with the bed rail apertures when the bed rail hook is inserted in the bed rail slot. During assembly, the rivets are inserted into the bed rail apertures and through the bed rail hook apertures, and an end of the shank of each of the rivets is clinched to provide a removal resistant engagement.
The man made wood material is preferably medium density fiberboard, particle board, or oriented strand board.
Preferably, the rivets are semi tubular rivets and the end of the shank of each of the rivets is clinched to form a rolled clinch. The heads of the rivets are substantially flat and have a diameter greater than the shanks of the rivets. The shanks of the rivets have a length that is longer than a width of the bed rail end in order to allow the rivets to be clinched.
The end of the bed rail also includes a plurality of countersinks on an insertion side of the bed rail. The countersinks are aligned with the bed rail apertures such that when the rivets are inserted into the bed rail apertures and the bed rail hook apertures from said insertion side of the bed rail, the heads of the rivets are substantially flush with the insertion side of the bed rail. The countersinks have a diameter slightly greater than the heads of the rivets.
The bed rail hook includes a second end opposite the first end and the second end has a plurality of downwardly extending hooks adapted to engage a footboard or headboard post. A second plurality of rivets are horizontally mounted through a slot in a man made wood material bedpost, each of the rivets having a head and a shank, and the downwardly extending hooks of the bed rail hook are configured to enter the slot of the bedpost and engage the shanks of the second plurality of rivets respectively.
The invention also provides a method of mounting a bed rail hook having a plurality of through-extending apertures on an end of a man made wood material bed rail that has a slot adapted to receive the bed rail hook and a plurality of through extending apertures including inserting the bed rail hook into the slot, aligning the plurality of apertures of the bed rail and bed rail hook, inserting rivets into the bed rail apertures and the bed rail hook apertures, and clinching ends of the rivets to provide a removal resistant engagement of the hook within the slot. The method also includes the preliminary step of fabricating the bed rail of a man made wood material selected from the either medium density fiberboard, particle board, or oriented strand board. Fabricating includes cutting the slot into the end of the man made wood material bed rail and cutting the apertures orthogonally into the end of the man made wood material bed rail to intersect the slot.
The invention further provides a man made wood material bed rail and bedpost connection using a hook and fastener assembly including a man made wood material bed rail having apertures extending through an end thereof, a bedpost having a slot therein and apertures extending through the bedpost and the intersecting the slot, first and second pluralities of rivets, each of the rivets having a head and a shank, and a bed rail hook having a flat body with a plurality of apertures extending through a first end of the flat body, the bed rail hook apertures having a diameter slightly larger than the shank of the first plurality of rivets. The first plurality of rivets extends through aligned ones of the apertures in the bed rail and apertures in the bed rail hook and have shank ends clinched to provide a removal resistant engagement of the hook in the bed rail. The second plurality of rivets extend through aligned ones of the apertures in the bedpost and have shank ends clinched to provide substantial removal resistance. The bedpost slot and the second plurality of rivets are adapted to allow the bed rail hook to engage the second plurality of rivets within the bedpost slot.